Wind turbine blade with submerged boundary layer control means

Abstract

A wind turbine blade having a longitudinal direction with a root end and a tip end as well as a chord extending in a transverse direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge is described. The blade comprises a flow control surface with a suction side and a pressure side. A number of boundary layer control means is formed in the flow control surface. The boundary layer control means include a channel submerged in the flow control surface with a first end facing towards the leading edge and a second end facing towards the trailing edge of the blade. The channel comprises: a bottom surface extending from the first end to the second end, a first sidewall extending between the flow control surface and the bottom surface and extending between the first end and the second end, the first sidewall forming a first sidewall edge between the first side wall and the flow control surface, and a second sidewall extending between the flow control surface and the bottom surface and extending between the first end and the second end, the second sidewall forming a second sidewall edge between the second side wall and the flow control surface. The channel at the first end comprises a first flow accelerating channel zone adapted for accelerating a flow, and at the second end comprises a second channel zone, where the first sidewall and the second sidewall are diverging towards the trailing edge of the blade.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a wind turbine blade having a longitudinal direction with a root end and a tip end as well as a chord extending in a transverse direction between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the blade comprising a flow control surface with a suction side and a pressure side.BACKGROUND[0002]There are many situations, where it is desirable to provide a method of delaying or preventing flow separation between a flowing medium and a flow control surface in regions where the boundary layer of the flow medium due to the profile of the flow control surface is subjected to pressure gradients, which are sufficient to cause flow separation.[0003]When a viscous fluid passes over a wind turbine blade towards the trailing edge, the fluid flows from a region with low static pressure to a region with high static pressure, in the process being subjected to an adverse pressure gradient. This in turn results in forces, which tend to retard the boundary lay...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]When a free flow passes over the wind turbine blade during normal use of the blade, i.e. during rotation in a rotor of a horizontal axis wind turbine blade, in a substantially transverse direction from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the blade, the flow is first accelerated in the first flow accelerating channel zone. In the second channel zone, the flow separates from the first sidewall and / or the second sidewall due to the diverging angle between these two sidewalls, which causes strong vortices to be generated. These vortices pull the boundary layer towards the flow control surface and thus prevent the boundary layer from separating from the exterior of the wind turbine blade. The first flow accelerating channel zone ensures that strong vortices are generated as the vorticity is dependent on the velocity of the flow—the higher the flow velocity the stronger the vorticity. This provides for a wind turbine blade, where detachment of the flow can be delayed towards the trailing edge of the blade or be prevented entirely. Thus, the overall lift and efficiency of the wind turbine blade can be increased.

[0011]According to an embodiment of the boundary layer control means, the channel in first flow accelerating zone has a cross sectional area, which is decreasing in the direction of the flow. This provides a simple solution for accelerating the flow before reaching the part, where the channel sidewalls are diverging and where the vortices are generated.

[0017]According to an alternative embodiment, the first flow accelerating channel zone comprises a number of ventilation holes for accelerating the flow. If the flow control member is constructed as a shell member having an interior and an exterior surface, such as a wind turbine blade, the ventilation holes can be adapted to communicate between the interior and the exterior of the flow control member. This provides for another simple solution of accelerating the flow in the first flow accelerating zone.

[0019]In another embodiment according to the invention, the first sidewall edge and / or the second sidewall edge extend beyond the flow control surface. This can for instance be implemented by forming a lip above the channel. Thereby, the channel does not have a sharp edge, thereby making it easier to mould the object with the flow control surface.

[0021]The channel can also be provided with an inlet arranged before the first flow accelerating channel zone and / or be provided with an outlet arranged after the second channel zone. Thus, the channel can emerge at the flow control surface at the end of the inlet or at the end of the first flow accelerating channel zone, as well as emerge at the end of the second channel zone or at the end of the outlet. The first sidewall and the sec- and sidewall can be substantially parallel to the flow direction within the inlet and the outlet of the channel. The channel can also have a small discontinuity, i.e. the height of the channel or sidewalls may decrease stepwise.

[0024]The chordwise position of the boundary layer control means can be between 10% and 80% of the chord as seen from the leading edge. Alternatively, they are positioned within a region extending between 20% and 70% of the chord as seen from the leading edge. In general the boundary layer control means are utilised to delay separation, where a forward position, i.e. close to the leading edge, is used to delay stall, and a backward position, i.e. further away from the leading edge, is used to increase efficiency.

Problems solved by technology

This in turn results in forces, which tend to retard the boundary layer, which can be strong enough to arrest or reverse the flow, which can cause the fluid to separate and behave in a non-predictable manner.

This causes an increase in drag due to the cross-sectional area of separated flow in the wake of the flow control medium, which in turn reduces the lift of the wind turbine blade and even may cause the blade to stall.

However, all of these vortex generators are encumbered with a drawback of relatively high drag.

Furthermore, these vortex generators, which are usually mounted on the surface of the wind turbine blade after production of the blade, have a tendency to break off during transport, which may seriously impair the functionality of the blade.

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